My Top 5 Games of E3 2014

Despite what a few naysayers in the forums are saying, E3 this year was really damn good. All three console makers and Ubisoft were in peak form showing off some really amazing stuff. EA was less than spectacular but hey, 4/5 aint bad at all. I am only mentioning my five favorites here but there was way more stuff that I thought was looking good.

Hyrule Warriors looks like a really dumb, really fun hack and slash game. Thankfully they are allowing coop where one player gets the whole TV and the other gets the full gamepad (what the fuck Mario Kart 8?). There is not too much more to this one. It just looks like a fun game to turn off your brain and enjoy mowing down an absurd number of enemies. I remember playing and enjoying a Dynasty Warriors game (lord knows which one) way back when I first got my PS2 but I have never gone back to the franchise since then so I am excited to play another one of those types of games again after more than ten years.

I have been looking forward to this game since last year. I was super bummed when it was delayed but what can you do? I am still sold on the premise of it and the gameplay looks better then it did last year. We haven't been able to customize cars in an over the top way since Midnight Club so I can't wait to spend too much time making something I a vehicle I am happy with. I am also really really interested to see what the story mode looks like in this game, especially after the creative director said that he was not taking it seriously because it is a video game about racing. It struck me as a shot to Need for Speed but he isn't wrong. Heres hoping that he delivers something truly goofy and over the top.

The only Assassin's Creed game I have had fun with is the first one. After doing everything in it and enjoying it I immediately jumped into 2 which was a huge mistake. I got sick of it and all the Animus bullshit and so I never finished it. I bought the Vita one on sale and that game looked and ran like poop and so once again I never finished it. The boat combat they have been pushing for the last few games seemed dumb and so I had come to accept that this franchise was just not for me. However, the gameplay they showed in both the Microsoft and Ubisoft press conferences looks really good and reminded me why I loved the first game. Coop also seems like a great addition.

I love the LittleBigPlanet franchise. Like a bunch. The original was my favorite game of the last generation. I was completely surprised when this showed up at the Sony press conference with no warning or introduction. Sumo Digital is a talented studio and the demo they presented looked broken in that charming LBP way. It is also great to know that all the old levels people have created is going to make the jump to PS4. The soundtrack in these games is also always really amazing so I look forward to seeing what songs are included. The three new character they introduced look adorable. I can't wait to see what kinds of levels the community makes with these new characters in mind.

Smash Bros is always good and it looks like Sakurai is addressing the problems people had with Brawl. The combat looks tight and all the new characters that they have introduced look like they are bringing something new and unique to the table. I was also happy to see that the Pac-Man they are using looks like the Pac-Man World version instead of the new Ghostly Adventures model. The Mii's look like a great new addition as well with their customizable move sets. The NFC figurines seem really pointless and don't appear to really add (or take away) anything but Smash Bros toys are Smash Bros toys and therefore I shall buy them all. The invitational tournament they held was also amazing. The gameplay looks fantastic and has made the wait for this game even more unbareable. And how could you not love Reggie telling Hungrybox that he was going to kick his ass?

Yeah, on one hand, it kinda sucked because so many of these games are a ways off, but then this is probably the first time that 'next gen' felt like a real thing. Plenty of interesting stuff going around. Hadn't even seen anything about the crew, will check that out.

@slag: It means that it is still being built with the limitations of the PS3 in mind. As it stands LittleBigPlanet 2 struggled to run some of the more complex stuff on the console. The levels in LBP 3 will only be as complex as the PS3 allows for which will likely be similar to LittleBigPlanet 2.

I really wish I liked LittleBigPlanet, but I played 2 and just plain didn't like how it controlled. I respect that they're carrying forward the content from the first two games, but that unfortunately also means that it's going to play the same, and that's basically a deal-breaker for me.

I'm way more excited about Hyrule Warriors than I expected to be. I've never tried Dynasty Warriors, so it might turn out I just don't like playing it, but replacing Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore with Zelda fanservice was a pretty good way to ensure I'd give it a shot. For what it's worth, I thought it looked pretty fun and interesting in the E3 Treehouse video.

Those two videos really are something. I know that this stuff is on some level part of a marketing plan, but it's still pretty great. It's especially endearing since Sony and Microsoft feel more self-serious than ever these days.

The physics in LittleBigPlanet were what kept me from enjoying it. It's just far too floaty, and if LBP3 is the same way, then I doubt that my opinion on it will be any different. If I want to get my custom platforming level creation juices going, I think Mario Maker is going to end up being more my speed.

@slag: It means that it is still being built with the limitations of the PS3 in mind. As it stands LittleBigPlanet 2 struggled to run some of the more complex stuff on the console. The levels in LBP 3 will only be as complex as the PS3 allows for which will likely be similar to LittleBigPlanet 2.

Oh I didn't know it pushed the system that hard, LBP never struck me as that graphically/resource intensive. Well that makes sense then. Sorry duder. :(